Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Falkland island named after last British casualty

Island named after last solider killed in the Falklands’ conflict

On a June morning 30 years ago, Pte Craig Jones was killed by a shell as British troops made their final push in the Falklands War. He was the last soldier to die in the conflict as a ceasefire was declared the following day.

Pte Craig Jones with his parents before leaving for the Falklands

Three decades on, his family has followed in the footsteps of Pte Jones and the Parachute Regiment which helped liberate the islands that had been occupied by Argentina.

The family's journey ended at an islet they have been given which had previously gone by the name of Little Rabbit Island. There they held a ceremony to mark its name change to Craig Island - in memory of their son.

“There will never be any permission to build on the island, so it's going to remain what it is now - a haven for wildlife,” said Pte Jones's mother, Pam.

“It's a tribute to Craig, and not only Craig, because he was one of more than 260 men who were killed - so it's a tribute to all of them.”...